What’s Next After Geneva?
As I See
Adil Elbaz
1
Before we discuss the aftermath of Geneva, we must pause for a moment to consider the story of the delegation that went to consultations with the Americans in Jeddah, led by the respected leader Mr. Mohamed Bashir Abunamo, and returned yesterday. That high-level delegation went with questions and inquiries so that Sudan could go to Geneva with clarity. The government had initially agreed to go to Geneva based on a letter from the U.S. Department of State.
These questions were essentially about the arrangements for the meeting that Sudan was invited to.
The Sudanese delegation asked the Americans:
Why did you replace Geneva with Jeddah?
Because we can.
Alright, you said Jeddah would be the basis, so what guarantees do we have that what we agreed on in Jeddah will be implemented?
We have no guarantees for you.
Okay, why did you invite the UAE and IGAD when you know our stance on them?
We are the hosts, and we have the right to invite whoever we want!
Fine, you have now accepted consultations with us as a government, so will you accept the participation of the government delegation in Geneva?
No… Only high-ranking army leaders will participate in Geneva.
So what is the value of your recognition of our government?
We just want you to reach Geneva.
Can you reconsider this?
We have nothing else for you. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!
At this point, as I imagined, Abunamo might have said, “So you have decided the time, place, participants, and even members of our delegation, and the agenda, and you’ve invited the supporters of the rebellion as observers, and after all this, you have no guarantees for us regarding the implementation of whatever we might agree upon? And you expect us to participate in this farce? You know what, I’ll tell you…” However, being a polite man, Abunamo gathered his papers and recommended boycotting Geneva altogether.
2
The U.S. treats us with arrogance and in a humiliating manner, and I don’t know why. Mr. Blinken orders our president to go directly to Jeddah without any discussion, then sends him a message to strip him of his official status as head of state. Practically, the U.S. does not recognize the government, as it refuses to negotiate with the rebels as a government—only the army.
What is the U.S.’s problem with us? Our president has never said, “To hell with America,” nor has he said, “We will bring their downfall,” nor has he stepped on them yet!
3
Another puzzling question: Why does the U.S. support the rebellion, cover up its crimes, and the crimes of the financiers and instigators of the war, despite all the atrocities and horrors they have committed, which have reached the level of genocide?! Is it because the secular forces, our beloved comrades, have aligned with the rebellion, or does it hate the Sudanese people for no reason, or is the Biden administration, in its final breath, trying to score a political achievement that could help Kamala Harris in her struggle against Trump, especially since the Biden administration has no foreign achievements to speak of? On the contrary, all the external disasters, including wars and famines, have occurred during the blessed Democratic administration, and to this day, it is neck-deep in Gaza and preparing for a regional war against Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis all at once.
4
After Geneva… where to? The U.S. is now trying, by all means, to pressure President Burhan to participate in Geneva within the next 48 hours. It is currently using everyone with a connection to Sudan to soften President Burhan’s stance. I do not know how President Burhan can decide alone, independently, to participate in Geneva, amidst the opposition of all his allies and his government, while the entire public opinion rejects Sudan’s participation in this farce in such a humiliating way.
5
If Sudan—this is highly likely—misses Geneva, what will the U.S. do? It will try to use famine as a new tool to push the African Union to adopt a stance against Sudan, thereby escalating the African position to the UN Security Council under a humanitarian cover, with noise and threats of sanctions. However, it is doubtful that a resolution for humanitarian intervention or otherwise can be passed, as the United States will not be able to pass it in the Security Council in the face of opposition from Russia and China. Even if it adopts a resolution for intervention without a Security Council decision under humanitarian pretexts and brings African mercenaries to implement its agenda, it will gain nothing but get stuck in the quagmire of the war in Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of mercenaries from the Daqlo family failed to defeat the Sudanese army, and the Sudanese people will fight them all as invaders, just as they fought the Janjaweed. No force can do more harm to the Sudanese people than what the militias have already done.
(“What they did…
Ravaging the homes of others as they did not
No hand of even the cruelest criminals destroyed as they did
They, who preach the highest ideals
But at every test, they spit on those ideals!”)